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</div> </a> <ul id="toc-Nobiliary_law_today-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Uradel_and_Briefadel" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Uradel_and_Briefadel"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Uradel and Briefadel</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Uradel_and_Briefadel-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Hochadel" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Hochadel"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Hochadel</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Hochadel-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Niederer_Adel" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Niederer_Adel"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Niederer Adel</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Niederer_Adel-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Titles_and_ranks" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Titles_and_ranks"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Titles and ranks</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Titles_and_ranks-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">12</span> 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</div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" 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href="/wiki/Royal_family" title="Royal family">royalty</a> were <a href="/wiki/Status_group" title="Status group">status groups</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Estates_of_the_realm" title="Estates of the realm">medieval society in Central Europe</a>, which enjoyed certain <a href="/wiki/Privilege_(law)" title="Privilege (law)">privileges</a> relative to other people under the laws and customs in the <a href="/wiki/German-speaking_area" class="mw-redirect" title="German-speaking area">German-speaking area</a>, until the beginning of the 20th century. Historically, German entities that recognized or conferred <a href="/wiki/Nobility" title="Nobility">nobility</a> included the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> (962–1806), the <a href="/wiki/German_Confederation" title="German Confederation">German Confederation</a> (1814–1866), and the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a> (1871–1918). Chancellor <a href="/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck" title="Otto von Bismarck">Otto von Bismarck</a> in the German Empire had a policy of expanding his political base by ennobling <a href="/wiki/Nouveau_riche" title="Nouveau riche">nouveau riche</a> industrialists and businessmen who had no noble ancestors.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The nobility flourished during the dramatic industrialization and urbanization of Germany after 1850. Landowners modernized their estates, and oriented their business to an international market. Many younger sons were positioned in the rapidly growing national and regional civil service bureaucracies, as well as in the officer corps of the military. They acquired not only the technical skills but the necessary education in high prestige German universities that facilitated their success. Many became political leaders of new reform organizations such as agrarian leagues, and pressure groups. The Roman Catholic nobility played a major role in forming the new <a href="/wiki/Centre_Party_(Germany)" title="Centre Party (Germany)">Centre Party</a> in resistance to Bismarck's <a href="/wiki/Anti-Catholicism" title="Anti-Catholicism">anti-Catholic</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Kulturkampf" title="Kulturkampf">Kulturkampf</a></i>, while Protestant nobles were similarly active in the <a href="/wiki/German_Conservative_Party" title="German Conservative Party">Conservative Party</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In August 1919, at the beginning of the <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Republic" title="Weimar Republic">Weimar Republic</a> (1918–1933), Germany's new constitution officially abolished royalty and nobility, and the respective legal privileges and immunities appertaining to an individual, a family or any heirs. </p><p>Today, German nobility is no longer conferred by the <a href="/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Germany" class="mw-redirect" title="Federal Republic of Germany">Federal Republic of Germany</a> (1949–present), and constitutionally the descendants of German noble families do not enjoy legal privileges. <a href="/wiki/Hereditary_title" title="Hereditary title">Hereditary titles</a> are permitted as part of the surname (e.g., the aristocratic particles <i><a href="/wiki/Von" title="Von">von</a></i> and <i><a href="/wiki/Nobiliary_particle" title="Nobiliary particle">zu</a></i>), and these surnames can then be inherited by a person's children. </p><p>Later developments distinguished the <a href="/wiki/Austrian_nobility" title="Austrian nobility">Austrian nobility</a>, which came to be associated with the <a href="/wiki/Austrian_Empire" title="Austrian Empire">Austrian Empire</a> and <a href="/wiki/Austria-Hungary" title="Austria-Hungary">Austria-Hungary</a>. The <a href="/wiki/Nobility" title="Nobility">nobility</a> system of the German Empire was similar to <a href="/wiki/Austrian_nobility" title="Austrian nobility">nobility in the Austrian Empire</a>; both developed during the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> and both ended in 1919 when they were abolished, and legal status and privileges were revoked. </p><p>In April 1919, Austrian nobility was abolished under the <a href="/wiki/First_Austrian_Republic" title="First Austrian Republic">First Austrian Republic</a> (1919–1934) and, contrary to Germany, the subsequent use and legal recognition of hereditary titles and aristocratic particles and use as part of surnames was banned. Today, Austrian nobility is no longer conferred by the Republic of <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> (1945–present), and the public or official use of noble titles as title or part of the surname, is a minor offence under Austrian law for Austrian citizens. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Principles">Principles</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Principles"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Siebmacher001.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Siebmacher001.jpg/220px-Siebmacher001.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="188" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Siebmacher001.jpg/330px-Siebmacher001.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Siebmacher001.jpg/440px-Siebmacher001.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3134" data-file-height="2684" /></a><figcaption>Heraldic arms of the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a>, <i><a href="/wiki/Siebmachers_Wappenbuch" title="Siebmachers Wappenbuch">Siebmachers Wappenbuch</a></i></figcaption></figure> <p>In Germany, nobility and titles pertaining to it were recognised or bestowed upon individuals by emperors, kings and lesser ruling royalty, and were then inherited by the legitimate, <a href="/wiki/Patrilineality" title="Patrilineality">male-line</a> descendants of the ennobled person. Families that had been considered noble as early as pre-1400s Germany (i.e., the <i><a href="/wiki/Uradel" title="Uradel">Uradel</a></i> or "ancient nobility") were usually eventually recognised by a sovereign, confirming their entitlement to whatever legal privileges nobles enjoyed in that sovereign's realm. Noble rank was usually granted to men by <a href="/wiki/Letters_patent" title="Letters patent">letters patent</a> (see <i><a href="/wiki/Briefadel" title="Briefadel">Briefadel</a></i>), whereas women were members of nobility by descent or by marriage to a nobleman. Nobility was inherited equally by all legitimate descendants in the <a href="/wiki/Male_line" class="mw-redirect" title="Male line">male line</a>. </p><p>German titles of nobility were usually inherited by all male-line descendants, although some descended by male <a href="/wiki/Primogeniture" title="Primogeniture">primogeniture</a>, especially in 19th and 20th century <a href="/wiki/Prussia" title="Prussia">Prussia</a> (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck" title="Otto von Bismarck">Otto von Bismarck</a>, born a baronial <i><a href="/wiki/Junker_(Prussia)" title="Junker (Prussia)">Junker</a></i> (not a title), was granted the title of count (<i><a href="/wiki/Graf" title="Graf">Graf</a></i>) extending to all his male-line descendants, and later that of prince (<i><a href="/wiki/F%C3%BCrst" title="Fürst">Fürst</a></i>) in primogeniture). Upon promulgation of the <a href="/wiki/Weimar_Constitution" title="Weimar Constitution">Weimar Constitution</a> on 11 August 1919, all Germans were declared equal before the law.<sup id="cite_ref-Art._109_WC_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Art._109_WC-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> an exceptional practice regarding surnames borne by former members of the nobility: whereas the <a href="/wiki/German_name#Gender-specific_surname_variants" title="German name">gender differentiation in German surnames</a>, widespread until the 18th century and colloquially retained in some dialects, was abolished in Germany with the introduction of officially registered invariable surnames by the late 19th century, former noble titles transformed into parts of the surname in 1919 continue to appear in female and male forms.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Altogether abolished were titles of sovereigns, such as emperor/empress, king/queen, grand duke/grand duchess, etc. However, former titles shared and inherited by all members of the family were retained but incorporated into the surname. For instance, members of the former royal families of <a href="/wiki/Prussia" title="Prussia">Prussia</a> and Bavaria were allowed use of <i>Prinz/Prinzessin</i>;<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or <i>Herzog/Herzogin.</i> In the cases of the former kings/queens of Saxony and Württemberg, the ducal title borne by non-ruling cadets of their dynasties before 1919, or <i>Herzog/Herzogin</i> for the six deposed grand dukes (i.e., the former rulers of <a href="/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Baden" title="Grand Duchy of Baden">Baden</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Hesse" title="Grand Duchy of Hesse">Hesse</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin" title="Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin">Mecklenburg-Schwerin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Mecklenburg-Strelitz" title="Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz">Mecklenburg-Strelitz</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Oldenburg" title="Grand Duchy of Oldenburg">Oldenburg</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach" title="Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach">Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach</a>) and their consorts were retained. </p><p>Any dynasty who did not reign prior to 1918 but had held a specific title as heir to one of Germany's former thrones (e.g., <i>Erbprinz</i> ("hereditary prince"))—along with any heir to a title of nobility inherited via primogeniture, and their wives—were permitted to incorporate those titles into elements of the personal surname. However, these titles became extinct upon their deaths, not being heritable.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> With the demise of all persons styled "crown prince" before 1918, the term <i>Kronprinz</i> no longer exists as a legal surname element. Traditional titles exclusively used for unmarried noblewomen, such as <i><a href="/wiki/Baronesse" class="mw-redirect" title="Baronesse">Baronesse</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/Freiin" class="mw-redirect" title="Freiin">Freiin</a></i> and <i>Freifräulein</i>, were also transformed into parts of the legal surname, subject to change at marriage or upon request.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>All other former titles and <a href="/wiki/Nobiliary_particle" title="Nobiliary particle">nobiliary particles</a> are now inherited as part of the surname, and remain protected as private names under the laws. Whereas the title previously prefixed the given and surname (e.g., <i>Graf Kasimir von der Recke</i>), the legal usage moves the former title to the surname (i.e., <i>Kasimir Graf von der Recke</i>). However, the pre-1919 style sometimes continues in colloquial usage. In Austria, by contrast, not only were the privileges of <a href="/wiki/Austrian_nobility" title="Austrian nobility">the nobility</a> abolished, but their titles and nobiliary particles as well.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>b<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>German nobility was not simply distinguished by noble ranks and titles, but was also seen as a distinctive ethos. Title 9, §1 of the <i>General State Laws for the Prussian States</i> declared that the nobility's responsibility <i>"as the first social class in the state"</i> was <i>"the defence of the country, as well as the supporting of the exterior dignity and the interior constitution thereof"</i>. Most <a href="/wiki/States_of_the_Holy_Roman_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="States of the Holy Roman Empire">German states</a> had strict laws concerning proper conduct, employment, or marriage of nobles. Violating these laws could result in temporary or permanent <i>Adelsverlust</i> ("loss of the status of nobility"). Until the late 19th century, for example, it was usually forbidden for nobles, theoretically on pain of <i>Adelsverlust</i>, to marry persons "of low birth". Moreover, nobles employed in menial labour and lowly trades or wage labour could lose their nobility, as could nobles convicted of <a href="/wiki/Capital_crime" class="mw-redirect" title="Capital crime">capital crimes</a>. <i>Adelsverlust</i> only concerned the individual who had violated nobility codes of conduct. Their kin, spouse, and living children were not affected, but children born to a man after an <i>Adelsverlust</i> were commoners and did not inherit the father's former nobility. </p><p>Various organisations <sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> perpetuate the historical legacy of the former nobility, documenting genealogy, chronicling the history of noble families and sometimes declining to acknowledge persons who acquired noble surnames in ways impossible before 1919. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Marriage_strategies">Marriage strategies</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Marriage strategies"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Many German states, however, required a marriage to a woman of elevated social status in order for a nobleman to pass on his titles and privileges to his children. In this respect, the <i><a href="/wiki/General_State_Laws_for_the_Prussian_States" title="General State Laws for the Prussian States">General State Laws for the Prussian States</a></i> of 1794 spoke of marriage (and children) "to the right hand". This excluded marriages with women of the lower social classes, but did not mean a woman had to come from nobility herself. Especially towards the end of the 19th century and beyond, when a new upper class of wealthy common people had emerged following industrialization, marriages with commoners were becoming more widespread. However, with few exceptions, this did not apply to higher nobility, who largely continued to marry among themselves. Upwardly mobile German families typically followed marriage strategies involving men of lower rank marrying women of higher status who brought a major dowry.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Nobiliary_particles">Nobiliary particles</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Nobiliary particles"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Most, but not all, surnames of the German nobility were preceded by or contained the preposition <i><a href="/wiki/Von" title="Von">von</a></i> (meaning "of") or <i>zu</i> (meaning "at") as a <a href="/wiki/Nobiliary_particle" title="Nobiliary particle">nobiliary particle</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-NM-KTG_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NM-KTG-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The two were occasionally combined into <i>von und zu</i> (meaning "of and at").<sup id="cite_ref-NM-KTG_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NM-KTG-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In general, the <i>von</i> form indicates the family's place of origin, while the <i>zu</i> form indicates the family's continued possession of the estate from which the surname is drawn. Therefore, <i>von <b>und</b> zu</i> indicates a family which is both named for and continues to own their original feudal holding or residence. However, the <i>zu</i> particle can also hint to the split of a dynasty, as providing information on the adopted new home of one split-off branch: For instance, a senior branch owning and maybe even still residing at the place of the dynasty's origin might have been called <i>of A-Town [{and at} A-Town]</i> furthermore, while a new, junior branch could then have adopted the style of, say, <i>of A-town [and] at B-ville</i>, sometimes even dropping <i>[and] at</i>, simply hyphenating the names of the two places. Other forms also exist as combinations with the definite article: e.g. "<i>von der</i>" or <i>von dem</i> → "<i>vom</i>" ("of the"), <i>zu der</i> → "<i>zur</i>" or <i>zu dem</i> → "<i>zum</i>" ("of the", "in the", "at the").<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Particularly between the late 18th and early 20th century when an increasing number of unlanded <a href="/wiki/Commoner" title="Commoner">commoners</a> were ennobled, the "<i>von</i>" was typically simply put in front of a person's surname. When a person by the common occupational surname of "<i>Meyer</i>" received nobility, they would thus simply become "<i>von Meyer</i>". </p><p>When sorting noble—as well as non-noble—names in alphabetic sequence, any prepositions or (former) title are ignored.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Name elements which have developed from honorary functions, such as <i>Schenk</i> (short for <i>Mundschenk</i>, i.e., "<a href="/wiki/Cup-bearer" title="Cup-bearer">cup-bearer</a>"), are also overlooked.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Nobiliary particles are not capitalised unless they begin a sentence, and then they are usually skipped,<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> unless this creates confusion. In this, the German language practice differs from Dutch in the Netherlands, where the particle <i><a href="/wiki/Van_(Dutch)" title="Van (Dutch)">van</a></i> is usually capitalised when mentioned without preceding given names or initials, or from Dutch in Belgium, where the name particle <i>Van</i> is always capitalised. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Nobiliary_law_today">Nobiliary law today</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Nobiliary law today"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/German_nobility" title="Special:EditPage/German nobility">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22German+nobility%22">"German nobility"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22German+nobility%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22German+nobility%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22German+nobility%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22German+nobility%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22German+nobility%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2021</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Although nobility as a class is no longer recognised in Germany and enjoys no legal privileges, institutions exist that carry on the legal tradition of pre-1919 nobiliary law, which in Germany today is subsumed under <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Sonderprivatrecht</i></span>, 'special private law'. The <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Deutscher Adelsrechtsausschuss</i></span>, 'German Commission on Nobiliary Law' can decide matters such as lineage, legitimacy, and a person's right to bear a name of nobility, in accordance with codified nobiliary law as it existed prior to 1919. The Commission's rulings are generally non-binding for individuals and establish no rights or privileges that German authorities or courts would have to consider or observe. However, they are binding for all German nobility associations recognized by <a href="/wiki/CILANE" title="CILANE">CILANE</a> (<span title="French-language text"><i lang="fr">Commission d'information et de liaison des associations nobles d'Europe</i></span>). </p><p>In 1919, nobiliary particles and titles became part of the surname. Therefore, they can be transmitted according to civil law, for example from wife to husband, to illegitimate children and by way of adoption. The only difference to normal surnames is that noble surnames are deflected according to gender. </p><p>Some impoverished nobles offered adoptions for money in the 20th century, and the adoptees adopts extensively themselves, creating a "flood" of fake nobility. A noble or noble-sounding surname does not convey nobility to those not born legitimately of a noble father, and these persons are not allowed to join a nobility association. Persons who bear a noble or noble-sounding surname without belonging to the historical nobility according to <a href="/wiki/Salic_law" title="Salic law">Salic law</a> are classified as <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Nichtadelige Namensträger</i></span>, 'non-noble name-carriers'. The inflation of fake nobility is one of the major concerns of the Adelsrechtsausschuss, and it is up to the commission to determine whether a person should be considered noble or non-noble. For instance, the German-American businessman <a href="/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Prinz_von_Anhalt" title="Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt">Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt</a> was born as <i>Hans Robert Lichtenberg</i> in Germany. He was married with <a href="/wiki/Zsa_Zsa_Gabor" title="Zsa Zsa Gabor">Zsa Zsa Gabor</a> and was adopted by <a href="/wiki/Princess_Marie-Auguste_of_Anhalt" title="Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt">Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt</a> in 1980, allegedly arranged by the title dealer <a href="/wiki/Hans_Hermann_Weyer" title="Hans Hermann Weyer">Hans Hermann Weyer</a>, hence he is one of the 'non-noble name-carriers'. </p><p>In special cases, for example when a family is about to die out or when a daughter inherits the family estate and marries a commoner, the Adelsrechtsausschuss can grant a dispensation from Salic law, allowing for a one-time transfer of a noble surname contrary to nobiliary law, to a person considered non-noble. </p><p>The following criteria are most important in such cases: </p> <ul><li>Danger of extinction of the relevant noble family</li></ul> <ul><li>Transfer or inheritance of estates to the recipient of the name, for example to the son of the daughter</li></ul> <ul><li>Biological relation with the family giving the name</li></ul> <ul><li>Noble ancestors (for example mother or grandmother)</li></ul> <ul><li>Proximity to the historical nobility</li></ul> <ul><li>Marriage to a noblewoman</li></ul> <ul><li>Virtuous personality and sufficient social standing</li></ul> <ul><li>Membership in organizations traditionally considered noble, such as certain chivalric orders.</li></ul> <p>The Adelsrechtsausschuss does not recognize ennoblements made by heads of formerly ruling houses, but the associations of the formerly ruling and mediatized houses of Germany send representatives to the commission. </p><p>This so-called <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">(Nichtbeanstandung)</i></span>, 'Non-Objection' results in the factual ennoblement of the recipient (even though the term is not applied), making Germany one of the few republics where it is still possible for non-nobles to join the ranks of the nobility even though there is no monarch who can ennoble anymore. However, dispensations are granted only in the most exceptional cases, as they infringe on the rights of a theoretical future monarch. </p><p>When a person is granted a dispensation by the Adelsrechtsausschuss, he becomes the progenitor of a new noble family, which consists of all of his legitimate male-line descendants in accordance with nobiliary law. They are considered equal to nobles in all regards, and allowed to join nobility associations.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Uradel_and_Briefadel">Uradel and Briefadel</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Uradel and Briefadel"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Uradel" title="Uradel">Uradel</a> and <a href="/wiki/Briefadel" title="Briefadel">Briefadel</a></div> <p>A family whose nobility dates back to at least the 14th century may be called <i><a href="/wiki/Uradel" title="Uradel">Uradel</a></i>, or <i>Alter Adel</i> ("ancient nobility",<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGodsey200458_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGodsey200458-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or "old nobility"). This contrasts with <i><a href="/wiki/Briefadel" title="Briefadel">Briefadel</a></i> ("patent nobility"): nobility granted by <a href="/wiki/Letters_patent" title="Letters patent">letters patent</a>. The first known such document is from September 30, 1360, for Wyker Frosch in Mainz.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The term <i>Uradel</i> was not without controversy, and the concept was seen by some<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch"><span title="The material near this tag possibly uses too-vague attribution or weasel words. (November 2020)">who?</span></a></i>]</sup> as an arbitrary distinction invented by the Kingdom of Prussia. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Hochadel">Hochadel</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Hochadel"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Hochadel</i> ("upper nobility", or "high nobility") were those noble houses which ruled sovereign states within the Holy Roman Empire and, later, in the <a href="/wiki/German_Confederation" title="German Confederation">German Confederation</a> and the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a>. They were <a href="/wiki/Royal_family" title="Royal family">royalty</a>; the heads of these families were entitled to be addressed by some form of "Majesty" or "Highness". These were the families of kings (Bavaria, Hanover, Prussia, Saxony, and <a href="/wiki/House_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg" title="House of Württemberg">Württemberg</a>), grand dukes (Baden, Hesse and by Rhine, Luxembourg, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg and Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach), reigning dukes (Anhalt, Brunswick, Schleswig-Holstein, Nassau, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen), and reigning princes (Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Liechtenstein, Lippe, Reuss, Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzburg, and Waldeck-Pyrmont). </p><p>The <i>Hochadel</i> also included the Empire's formerly quasi-sovereign families whose domains had been <a href="/wiki/German_mediatisation" title="German mediatisation">mediatised</a> within the German Confederation by 1815, yet preserved the legal right to continue <a href="/wiki/Royal_intermarriage" title="Royal intermarriage">royal intermarriage</a> with still-reigning dynasties (<i>Ebenbürtigkeit</i>). These quasi-sovereign families comprised mostly princely and <a href="/wiki/Count" title="Count">comital</a> families, but included a few dukes also of Belgian and Dutch origin (<a href="/wiki/Arenberg" title="Arenberg">Arenberg</a>, <a href="/wiki/House_of_Cro%C3%BF" title="House of Croÿ">Croÿ</a>, Looz-Corswarem). Information on these families constituted the second section of <a href="/wiki/Justus_Perthes" title="Justus Perthes">Justus Perthes</a>’ entries on reigning, princely, and ducal families in the <i><a href="/wiki/Almanach_de_Gotha" title="Almanach de Gotha">Almanach de Gotha</a></i>. </p><p>During the unification of Germany, mainly from 1866 to 1871, the states of Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (in 1850), Schleswig-Holstein and Nassau were absorbed into Prussia. The former ruling houses of these states were still considered <i>Hochadel</i> under laws adopted by the German Empire. </p><p>In addition, the ruling families of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen were accorded the dynastic rights of a <a href="/wiki/Cadet_branch" title="Cadet branch">cadet branch</a> of the Royal House of Prussia after yielding sovereignty to their royal kinsmen. The exiled heirs to Hanover and Nassau eventually regained sovereignty by being allowed to inherit, respectively, the crowns of Brunswick (1914) and Luxembourg (1890). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Niederer_Adel">Niederer Adel</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Niederer Adel"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Nobility that held legal privileges until 1918 greater than those enjoyed by commoners, but less than those enjoyed by the <i>Hochadel,</i> were considered part of the lower nobility or <i>Niederer Adel</i>. Most were untitled, only making use of the particle <i><a href="/wiki/Von" title="Von">von</a></i> in their surnames. Higher-ranking noble families of the <i>Niederer Adel</i> bore such hereditary titles as <i><a href="/wiki/Edler" title="Edler">Edler</a></i> (lord), <i><a href="/wiki/Ritter" title="Ritter">Ritter</a></i> (knight), <i><a href="/wiki/Freiherr" title="Freiherr">Freiherr</a></i> (or baron) and <i><a href="/wiki/Graf" title="Graf">Graf</a></i>. Although most German counts belonged officially to the lower nobility, those who were mediatised belonged to the <i>Hochadel</i>, the heads of their families being entitled to be addressed as <i>Erlaucht</i> ("Illustrious Highness"), rather than simply as <i><a href="/wiki/Hochgeboren" title="Hochgeboren">Hochgeboren</a></i> ("High-born"). There were also some German noble families, especially in Austria, Prussia and Bavaria, whose heads bore the titles of <i><a href="/wiki/F%C3%BCrst" title="Fürst">Fürst</a></i> (prince) or <i><a href="/wiki/Herzog" title="Herzog">Herzog</a></i> (duke); however, never having exercised a degree of sovereignty, they were accounted members of the lower nobility (e.g., <a href="/wiki/House_of_Bismarck" title="House of Bismarck">Bismarck</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gebhard_Leberecht_von_Bl%C3%BCcher" title="Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher">Blücher</a>, <a href="/wiki/House_of_Putbus" title="House of Putbus">Putbus</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gertrude_von_Hanau" title="Gertrude von Hanau">Hanau</a>, <a href="/wiki/Henckel_von_Donnersmarck" title="Henckel von Donnersmarck">Henckel von Donnersmarck</a>, <a href="/wiki/Alexander_Hochberg" title="Alexander Hochberg">Pless</a>, <a href="/wiki/Karl_Philipp_von_Wrede" title="Karl Philipp von Wrede">Wrede</a>). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Titles_and_ranks">Titles and ranks</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Titles and ranks"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/German_nobility" title="Special:EditPage/German nobility">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22German+nobility%22">"German nobility"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22German+nobility%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22German+nobility%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22German+nobility%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22German+nobility%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22German+nobility%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">June 2023</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The titles of <a href="/wiki/Prince-elector" title="Prince-elector">elector</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grand_Duke" class="mw-redirect" title="Grand Duke">grand duke</a>, <a href="/wiki/Archduke" title="Archduke">archduke</a>, <a href="/wiki/Duke" title="Duke">duke</a>, <a href="/wiki/Landgrave" title="Landgrave">landgrave</a>, <a href="/wiki/Margrave" title="Margrave">margrave</a>, <a href="/wiki/Count_Palatine" class="mw-redirect" title="Count Palatine">count palatine</a>, <a href="/wiki/Prince" title="Prince">prince</a> and <i><a href="/wiki/Reichsgraf" class="mw-redirect" title="Reichsgraf">Reichsgraf</a></i> were borne by rulers who belonged to Germany's <i>Hochadel</i>. Other counts, as well as barons (<i><a href="/wiki/Freiherr" title="Freiherr">Freiherren/Barons</a>)</i>, lords (<i>Herren</i>), Landed knights (<i>Ritter</i>)<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>c<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> were borne by noble, non-reigning families. The vast majority of the German nobility, however, inherited no titles, and were usually distinguishable only by the nobiliary particle <i>von</i> in their surnames. </p> <table class="wikitable"> <caption>Titles and territories </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Title (English)</th> <th>Title (German)</th> <th>Territory (English)</th> <th>Territory (German) </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince-elector" title="Prince-elector">Prince-elector</a></td> <td><i>Kurfürst(in)</i></td> <td>Electorate</td> <td>Kurfürstentum </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince_of_the_Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Prince of the Holy Roman Empire">Prince of the Empire</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Reichsf%C3%BCrst" class="mw-redirect" title="Reichsfürst">Reichsfürst</a>(in)<sup class="plainlinks nourlexpansion citation" id="ref_1"><a href="#endnote_1">1</a></sup></i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/Principality" title="Principality">Principality with Imperial Immediacy</a></td> <td>Reichsfürstentum </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Duke" title="Duke">Duke/Duchess</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Herzog" title="Herzog">Herzog</a>(in)</i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/Duchy" title="Duchy">Duchy</a>, <a href="/wiki/Duchy" title="Duchy">Dukedom</a></td> <td>Herzogtum </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince" title="Prince">Sovereign Prince</a> </td> <td><i>Fürst(in)</i> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Principality" title="Principality">Principality</a> </td> <td>Fürstentum </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Margrave" title="Margrave">Margrave/Margravine</a></td> <td><i>Markgraf/Markgräfin</i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/Margraviate" class="mw-redirect" title="Margraviate">Margraviate</a>, <a href="/wiki/Marches" class="mw-redirect" title="Marches">March</a></td> <td>Markgrafschaft </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Count_Palatine" class="mw-redirect" title="Count Palatine">Count(ess) Palatine</a></td> <td><i>Pfalzgraf/Pfalzgräfin</i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/County_Palatine" class="mw-redirect" title="County Palatine">County Palatine, Palatinate</a></td> <td>Pfalzgrafschaft </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Landgrave" title="Landgrave">Landgrave/Landgravine</a></td> <td><i>Landgraf/Landgräfin</i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/Landgraviate" class="mw-redirect" title="Landgraviate">Landgraviate</a></td> <td>Landgrafschaft </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Count" title="Count">Count</a>(ess) of the Empire</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Reichsgraf" class="mw-redirect" title="Reichsgraf">Reichsgraf</a><sup class="plainlinks nourlexpansion citation" id="ref_1"><a href="#endnote_1">1</a></sup>/Reichsgräfin</i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/County" title="County">County</a></td> <td>Grafschaft </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Burgrave" title="Burgrave">Burgrave/Burgravine</a></td> <td><i>Burggraf/Burggräfin</i></td> <td><a href="/wiki/Burgraviate" class="mw-redirect" title="Burgraviate">Burgraviate</a></td> <td>Burggrafschaft </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Baron" title="Baron">Baron(ess)</a> of the Empire</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Reichsfreiherr" class="mw-redirect" title="Reichsfreiherr">Reichsfreiherr</a><sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>d<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>/Reichsfreifrau/Reichsfreiin<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>e<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></i></td> <td>(<a href="/wiki/Allodium" class="mw-redirect" title="Allodium">Allodial</a>) <a href="/wiki/Feudal_barony" class="mw-redirect" title="Feudal barony">Barony</a></td> <td>Freiherrschaft </td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="wikitable"> <caption> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Title (English)</th> <th>Title (German) </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor" title="Holy Roman Emperor">Holy Roman Emperor / Emperor of the Romans</a> </td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Kaiser" title="Kaiser">Kaiser</a> der Römer</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince-elector" title="Prince-elector">Prince-elector</a> </td> <td><i>Kurfürst(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/King" title="King">King</a> </td> <td><i>König(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Archduke" title="Archduke">Archduke/Archduchess</a></td> <td><i>Erzherzog(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince-Archbishop" class="mw-redirect" title="Prince-Archbishop">Prince-Archbishop</a> </td> <td><i>Fürsterzbischof</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Grand_duke" title="Grand duke">Grand Duke/Grand Duchess</a></td> <td><i>Großherzog(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince-bishop" title="Prince-bishop">Prince-Bishop</a> </td> <td><i>Fürstbischof</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince-abbot" title="Prince-abbot">Prince-Abbot</a>/Princess-Abess </td> <td><i>Fürstabt/Fürstäbtissin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Prince-provost" title="Prince-provost">Prince-provost</a> </td> <td><i>Fürstpropst</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Mediatised Prince (Also called <a href="/wiki/Princes_of_the_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Princes of the Empire">Princes of the Empire</a>, <br /> <a href="/wiki/Princes_of_the_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Princes of the Empire">or Imperial Princes</a>) </td> <td><i>Reichsfürst(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Sovereignty" title="Sovereignty">Sovereign</a> <a href="/wiki/Grand_master_(order)" title="Grand master (order)">Grandmaster</a> </td> <td>Großmeister </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Duke" title="Duke">Duke/Duchess</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Herzog" title="Herzog">Herzog</a>(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Prince/Princess (<a href="/wiki/Prince" title="Prince">Sovereign Prince</a>)</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/F%C3%BCrst" title="Fürst">Fürst</a>(in)</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Margrave" title="Margrave">Margrave/Margravine</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Markgraf" class="mw-redirect" title="Markgraf">Markgraf</a>/Markgräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Landgrave" title="Landgrave">Landgrave/Landgravine</a></td> <td><i>Landgraf/Landgräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Count(ess) Palatine</td> <td><i>Pfalzgraf/Pfalzgräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Princely Count </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Gefursteter_Graf" class="mw-redirect" title="Gefursteter Graf"><i>Gefürsteter Graf</i></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Imperial_Count" title="Imperial Count">Imperial Count(ess)</a></td> <td><i>Reichsgraf/Reichsgräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Princely_abbeys_and_imperial_abbeys_of_the_Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Princely abbeys and imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire">Imperial Abbot / Imperial Abbess</a> </td> <td><i>Reichsabt/Reichsäbtissin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Imperial Provost </td> <td><i>Reichspropst</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Burgrave" title="Burgrave">Burgrave</a>/Burgravine</td> <td><i>Burggraf/Burggräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Altgrave" class="mw-redirect" title="Altgrave">Altgrave/Altgravine</a></td> <td><i>Altgraf/Altgräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Waldgrave" title="Waldgrave">Waldgrave</a> </td> <td><i>Waldgraf/gräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Raugraves" title="Raugraves">Raugrave</a> </td> <td><i>Raugraf/gräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Rhinegrave" class="mw-redirect" title="Rhinegrave">Rhinegrave</a> </td> <td><i>Rheingraf/gräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Count" title="Count">Count</a>(ess)</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Graf" title="Graf">Graf</a>/Gräfin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Imperial Baron(ess)</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Reichsfreiherr" class="mw-redirect" title="Reichsfreiherr">Reichsfreiherr</a>/Reichsfreifrau/Reichsfreiin</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Castellan" title="Castellan">Castellan</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Burgmann" title="Burgmann">Burgmann</a></i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Imperial_Knight" title="Imperial Knight">Imperial Knight</a></td> <td><i>Reichsritter</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Baron" title="Baron">Baron(ess)</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Freiherr" title="Freiherr">Freiherr</a>/Freifrau/Freiin/Baron</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Lord" title="Lord">Lord</a> / Noble Lord</td> <td><i>Herr</i>/<i>Edler Herr</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Hereditary_knight" class="mw-redirect" title="Hereditary knight">Landed Hereditary Knight</a></td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Ritter" title="Ritter">Ritter</a></i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Noble</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Edler" title="Edler">Edler</a>/Edle</i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Young Lord (Often grouped with Untitled Noble)</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Junker" title="Junker">Junker</a></i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Unlanded Hereditary Knight / Free knight</td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Edelfrei" title="Edelfrei">Edelfrei</a></i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Untitled Noble </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Feudalism" title="Feudalism">Feudalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_Mediatisation" class="mw-redirect" title="German Mediatisation">German Mediatisation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neues_allgemeines_deutsches_Adels-Lexicon" title="Neues allgemeines deutsches Adels-Lexicon">Neues allgemeines deutsches Adels-Lexicon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Former_German_nobility_in_the_Nazi_Party" title="Former German nobility in the Nazi Party">Former German nobility in the Nazi Party</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Patricianship" class="mw-redirect" title="Patricianship">Patricianship</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Several heirs filed suits against this regulation, but on 11 March 1966 the supreme <a href="/wiki/Federal_Administrative_Court_of_Germany" class="mw-redirect" title="Federal Administrative Court of Germany">Federal Administrative Court of Germany</a> ruled, based on Art. 109 of the Weimar Constitution and an earlier decision of the <i><a href="/wiki/Reichsgericht" title="Reichsgericht">Reichsgericht</a></i>, that German law on names does not recognise hereditary surname variants for heads of families distinct from the legal surname borne by other family members. (cf., N.N. <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-46266304.html">Primogenitur – Nur eine Silbe</a></i> <span class="languageicon">(in German)</span> ("primogeniture – only a syllable"), in: <i><a href="/wiki/Der_Spiegel" title="Der Spiegel">Der Spiegel</a></i>, No. 15 (1966), p. 61.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Thus, for example, <i>Friedrich von Hayek</i> became <a href="/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek" title="Friedrich Hayek">Friedrich Hayek</a> in 1919 when Austria abolished all indicators of nobility in family names</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">In German, the meaning of <i>Ritter</i> is "rider", and likewise for the <a href="/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> and <a href="/wiki/North_Germanic_languages" title="North Germanic languages">Scandinavian</a> title <i>ridder</i>. These words are cognates derived from Germanic <i>rīdan</i>, "to ride", from Proto-Indo-European <i>reidh-</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The prefix <i>Reichs-</i> indicates a title granted by a past <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor" title="Holy Roman Emperor">Holy Roman Emperor</a>; these titles conferred higher precedence than that associated with other titles of the same nominal rank</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Freiin</i> indicates an unmarried baroness by birth.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lamar Cecil, "The creation of nobles in Prussia, 1871–1918." <i>American Historical Review</i> 75.3 (1970): 757–795.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Buse and Doerr, 1998), p. 41.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Art._109_WC-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Art._109_WC_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source"><a class="external text" href="https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Verfassung_des_Deutschen_Reichs_(1919)#Erster_Abschnitt:_Die_Einzelperson">"Artikel 109"</a> [Article 109]. <i>Weimar Constitution</i> (in German). <q>Adelsbezeichnungen gelten nur als Teil des Namens und dürfen nicht mehr verliehen werden.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Weimar+Constitution&rft.atitle=Artikel+109&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fde.wikisource.org%2Fwiki%2FVerfassung_des_Deutschen_Reichs_%281919%29%23Erster_Abschnitt%3A_Die_Einzelperson&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGerman+nobility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">This practice was confirmed in a judgement by the Reichsgericht on 10 March 1926 (published: <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="/wiki/Reichsgesetzblatt" title="Reichsgesetzblatt">Reichsgesetzblatt</a></i></span> (Reich Law Gazette), No. 113 (1926), pp. 107seqq., cf. also Sebastian-Johannes von Spoenla-Metternich, <i>Namenserwerb, Namensführung und Namensänderung unter Berücksichtigung von Namensbestandteilen</i>, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, Europäischer Verlag der Wissenschaften, 1997, (=simultaneously: Wilhelmshaven, Fachhochsch., Diploma thesis), p. 137. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-631-31779-4" title="Special:BookSources/3-631-31779-4">3-631-31779-4</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">In the <a href="/wiki/Free_State_of_Prussia" title="Free State of Prussia">Free State of Prussia</a> the <i>Gesetz über die Aufhebung der Standesvorrechte des Adels und die Auflösung der Hausvermögen</i> ("Act on the abolition of the privileges of rank of the nobility and the dissolution of dynastic estates") of 23 June 1920 stipulated this in § 22 (cf. <i>Gesetzsammlung für Preußen</i> {Statute for Prussia}, No. 32 (1920), 22 July 1920, pp. 367–382).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Das <a href="/wiki/B%C3%BCrgerliches_Gesetzbuch" title="Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch">Bürgerliche Gesetzbuch</a> mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rechtsprechung des Reichsgerichts und des <a href="/wiki/Bundesgerichtshof" class="mw-redirect" title="Bundesgerichtshof">Bundesgerichtshofes</a>; Kommentare</i> (=Großkommentare der Praxis <span class="languageicon">(in German)</span>; "Civil Law Code with Special Attention to Jurisdiction of the <i>Reichsgericht</i> and the <i>Bundesgerichtshof</i>: Commentaries"), edited by members of the <i>Bundesgerichthof</i>, vol. 1: §§ 1–240, compiled by Kurt Herbert Johannsen, 12th, newly revised edition, Berlin and New York: de Gruyter, 1982, § 12 (p. 54). <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-11-008973-4" title="Special:BookSources/3-11-008973-4">3-11-008973-4</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> Judith J. Hurwich, "Marriage strategies among the German nobility, 1400-1699," <i>Journal of Interdisciplinary History</i> (1998) 29#2:169–195. </span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Heide W. Whelan, <i>Adapting to Modernity: Family, Caste & Capitalism among the Baltic German Nobility</i> (1999). </span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NM-KTG-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-NM-KTG_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NM-KTG_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">For example: <a href="/wiki/Hans_Adam_II,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein" class="mw-redirect" title="Hans Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein">Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius von und zu Liechtenstein</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">However, the prepositions <i>vom</i>, <i>von</i>, <i>zum</i>, <i>zur</i> can also form part of non-noble family names.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cf. <a href="/wiki/Deutsches_Institut_f%C3%BCr_Normung" title="Deutsches Institut für Normung">DIN</a> standard # 5007, part 2.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Thus, <a href="/wiki/Claus_Graf_Schenk_von_Stauffenberg" class="mw-redirect" title="Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg">Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg</a> is listed as: Stauffenberg, Claus Schenk Graf von.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Humboldt said ...</i>, rather than: <i>Von Humboldt said ...</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.adelsrecht.de/Arbeit_ARA.pdf">"Guidelines of the German Nobiliary Law Commission"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Guidelines+of+the+German+Nobiliary+Law+Commission&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelsrecht.de%2FArbeit_ARA.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGerman+nobility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGodsey200458-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGodsey200458_17-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFGodsey2004">Godsey 2004</a>, p. 58.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001651/http://regesta-imperii.digitale-sammlungen.de/regest/ri08_ri_1360-09-30_000001_000001_008_001_001_003683_0000003329">"DFG Regesta Imperii, 1360, Moguntie: Karl IV. (HRR) erhebt den Wiker Frosch ... in Mainz ... in den adelsstand"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://regesta-imperii.digitale-sammlungen.de/regest/ri08_ri_1360-09-30_000001_000001_008_001_001_003683_0000003329">the original</a> on 2016-03-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-08-06</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=DFG+Regesta+Imperii%2C+1360%2C+Moguntie%3A+Karl+IV.+%28HRR%29+erhebt+den+Wiker+Frosch+...+in+Mainz+...+in+den+adelsstand.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fregesta-imperii.digitale-sammlungen.de%2Fregest%2Fri08_ri_1360-09-30_000001_000001_008_001_001_003683_0000003329&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGerman+nobility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090422093035/http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE429.html">"reidh-"</a>. <i>American Heritage Dictionary's Index of Indo-European Roots</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE429.html">the original</a> on 2009-04-22.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=American+Heritage+Dictionary%27s+Index+of+Indo-European+Roots.&rft.atitle=reidh-&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bartleby.com%2F61%2Froots%2FIE429.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGerman+nobility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Augustine, Dolores L. <i>Patricians and Parvenus. Wealth and High Society in Wilhelmine Germany</i> (Berg, 1994).</li> <li>Augustine, Dolores L. "Arriving in the upper class: the wealthy business elite of Wilhelmine Germany." in David Blackbourn and Richard J. Evans, eds., <i>The German Bourgeoisie: Essays on the Social History of the German Middle Class from the Late Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century</i> (1991) pp: 46–86.</li> <li>Berdahl, Robert M. <i>The politics of the Prussian nobility: The development of a conservative ideology, 1770–1848</i> (Princeton UP, 2014).</li> <li>Buse, Dieter K. and Doerr, Juergen C., eds. <i>Modern Germany: An Encyclopedia of History, People, and Culture, 1871–1990</i> (2 vol. Garland, 1998) pp 41–42.</li> <li>Cecil, Lamar. "The creation of nobles in Prussia, 1871–1918." <i>American Historical Review</i> 75.3 (1970): 757–795 <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1854529">online</a>.</li> <li>D'Almeida, Fabrice. <i>High Society in the Third Reich</i> (2008) <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.amazon.com/Society-Third-Reich-Fabrice-DAlmeida/dp/0745643124/">excerpt</a></li></ul> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGodsey2004" class="citation book cs1">Godsey, William D. (2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=bh0Syp1dEewC"><i>Nobles and Nation in Central Europe: Free Imperial Knights in the Age of Revolution, 1750–1850</i></a>. Cambridge University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781139456098" title="Special:BookSources/9781139456098"><bdi>9781139456098</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Nobles+and+Nation+in+Central+Europe%3A+Free+Imperial+Knights+in+the+Age+of+Revolution%2C+1750%E2%80%931850&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=9781139456098&rft.aulast=Godsey&rft.aufirst=William+D.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dbh0Syp1dEewC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGerman+nobility" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li>Hurwich, Judith J. "Marriage strategies among the German nobility, 1400–1699," <i>Journal of Interdisciplinary History</i> (1998) 29#2:169–195.</li> <li>Kaudelka-Hanisch, Karin. "The Titled Businessman: Prussian Commercial Councillors in the Rhineland and Westphalia during the Nineteenth Century", in David Blackbourn and Richard J. Evans, eds., <i>The German Bourgeoisie: Essays on the Social History of the German Middle Class from the Late Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century</i> (1991) (Deals with the social and political rank of the former sovereign nobles of the Holy Roman Empire who were <a href="/wiki/German_mediatisation" title="German mediatisation">mediatized</a> from 1803 to 1815.)</li> <li>Johannes Rogalla von Bieberstein: <i>Adelsherrschaft und Adelskultur in Deutschland</i>. Limburg a.d.Lahn.: C.A. Starcke 1998.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=German_nobility&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.schlossarchiv.de/">Archive for Feudalism in Saxony</a> <span class="languageicon">(in German)</span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.edelleute.de">Institut Deutsche Adelsforschung</a> (Institute for German Aristocratic Research)<span class="languageicon">(in German)</span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.burgen-und-schloesser.net">Burgen und Schlösser</a> (Castles and Palaces of Germany)<span class="languageicon">(in German)</span></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style 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scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Monarchy" title="Monarchy">Present monarchies</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Belgian_nobility" title="Belgian nobility">Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Danish_nobility" title="Danish nobility">Denmark</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dutch_nobility" title="Dutch nobility">Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aristocracy_of_Norway" title="Aristocracy of Norway">Norway</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spanish_nobility" title="Spanish nobility">Spain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Swedish_nobility" title="Swedish nobility">Sweden</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_nobility" title="British nobility">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Papal_nobility" title="Papal nobility">Vatican City</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Abolished_monarchy" class="mw-redirect" title="Abolished monarchy">Former monarchies</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Albanian_nobility" title="Albanian nobility">Albania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armenian_nobility" title="Armenian nobility">Armenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Austrian_nobility" title="Austrian nobility">Austria and Slovenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Czech_nobility" title="Czech nobility">Bohemia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Bosnian_noble_families" title="Template:Bosnian noble families">Bosnia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Croatian_nobility" title="Croatian nobility">Croatia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baltic_German_nobility" title="Baltic German nobility">Estonia and Latvia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Finnish_nobility" title="Finnish nobility">Finland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/French_nobility" title="French nobility">France</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nobility_of_the_First_French_Empire" title="Nobility of the First French Empire">Empire</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nobility_of_Georgia_(country)" title="Nobility of Georgia (country)">Georgia</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Germany</a></li> <li>Greece <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aristoi" title="Aristoi">Ancient</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eupatridae" title="Eupatridae">Attica</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Byzantine_bureaucracy_and_aristocracy" title="Byzantine bureaucracy and aristocracy">Medieval</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phanariots" title="Phanariots">Early Modern</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hungarian_nobility" title="Hungarian nobility">Hungary and Slovakia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nobility_in_Iceland" title="Nobility in Iceland">Iceland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Irish_nobility" title="Irish nobility">Ireland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nobility_of_Italy" class="mw-redirect" title="Nobility of Italy">Italy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lithuanian_nobility" title="Lithuanian nobility">Lithuania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maltese_nobility" title="Maltese nobility">Malta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Montenegrin_nobility" title="Montenegrin nobility">Montenegro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Szlachta" title="Szlachta">Poland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Portuguese_nobility" title="Portuguese nobility">Portugal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Boyars_of_Moldavia_and_Wallachia" title="Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia">Romania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_nobility" title="Russian nobility">Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Serbian_nobility" title="Serbian nobility">Serbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Swiss_nobility" title="Swiss nobility">Switzerland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ruthenian_nobility" title="Ruthenian nobility">Ukraine</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ukrainian_nobility_of_Galicia" title="Ukrainian nobility of Galicia">Galicia</a></li></ul></li></ul> 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